Mercedes to Launch GLC-class with Plug-in Fuel Cell

The hydrogen fuel cell is a green method for powering cars that has been around for a long time now, but has yet to make a significant impact in the market. Mercedes might change that with the announcement that it will offer a production fuel-cell vehicle starting next year. That vehicle is the GLC F-Cell, and the car will also feature a battery that can recharge from the wall.

The vehicle uses a fuel cell stack developed in cooperation with Ford. That fuel cell provides power used to drive the rear axle’s motor. The goal for the vehicle is a driving range of 300 miles. Word is that the hydrogen tanks can be refilled in about 3 minutes from completely empty, a major speed advantage over vehicles that run strictly on electricity. There are two tanks carrying a combined 4.3 kg of hydrogen.

The hydrogen tanks alone provide 280 miles of driving with the extra 30 miles of range coming from an 8kWh battery pack above the rear fuel tank. Due to the lack of hydrogen infrastructure in much of the world, the vehicle will only be sold in areas with hydrogen stations to start. Mercedes thinks that there will be about 300 filling stations in Germany by 2020. Pricing is unannounced at this time.